| | | | | | Mystery of the week: What went wrong at the Sheridan ranch? — Erik Hayden
+ News ticker: Trump returns to CBS; Heidi Klum's Halloween reveal; Gayle King's rebuttal; Chris Winfrey's churn plan
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STANDOFF AT PARA CORRAL David Ellison has the deepest pockets in Hollywood. Taylor Sheridan has the best track record in streaming. Yet the most obvious deal in TV didn't happen ...
THE ONE BIG, TELLING CLUE to Ellison’s mindset was one simple fact: While sources disagree on some of the particulars as this saga evolved, all agree Paramount never actually made an offer to lock down Sheridan before he bolted for NBCUniversal. The report.
WAS IT PERSONAL? In a chat, James Hibberd floats that idea, "We also can’t overestimate how much it might be personal, for both men. Ellison doesn’t like how much power and control Sheridan wields while Sheridan doesn’t like the way he’s been treated since Ellison took over. It’s very: 'This streaming service ain’t big enough for the both of us.'" The conversation.
THE CAVEAT It certainly colored the development deal reveal that Sheridan is writing the theatrical adaptation of Paramount's big Call of Duty tentpole from director Peter Berg. The story.
ELLISON'S BAD PRESS CYCLE This comes with the territory, but it's been a week of top talent jumping ship, massive layoffs, Warner Bros. rejecting an acquisition bid and a messy shakeup at CBS News. The mogul's golden age for Paramount has sailed into some choppy waters. The column.
*A funny aside: NBCU never confirmed the Sheridan news, yet Comcast's chief Mike Cavanagh mentioned it a few times on an earnings call.
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A Problem With This Yes, the Adam Brody- Kristen Bell Netflix series mistook Tu B’Shvat for Tisha B’av. But there's more to it. "The Erin Foster phenom's issue isn't offensiveness. It's using Judaism as a hood ornament," Steven Zeitchik writes: "It does not seem especially interested in the very Judaism it purports to be about — and worse, seems too often to suggest that there’s not even much to be interested in." The column. |
Returning Fire Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim speak at length on A House of Dynamite emerging as an instant hit on Netflix, what she learned from the debate around Zero Dark Thirty and on the Pentagon criticizing its depiction of the nuclear missile defense system. David Canfield's story. |
Yes, They Did Say That "David Zaslav sticks his neck out for everybody." — Steven Spielberg, in presenting the Warners chief with an honor at the Wiesenthal Gala. "I don’t know who’s in charge." — Edie Falco, on Showtime's reported Nurse Jackie revival plan. "They want to use their power and extraordinary resources to eliminate competition." — Alan Bergman, Dana Walden and Jimmy Pitaro, on Disney's fight with YouTube TV. "We have the perfect alignment." — Graydon Carter, as steps back from Air Mail after selling to Puck, a firm run by his former Vanity Fair protégé. "Business was as dead as a doornail." — Judge Scott Everett, turning down a bid by Dr. Phil to keep his media startup's case in Chapter 11. "How do you find what’s funny within that?" — SNL's James Austin Johnson, on channeling Trump while "his enemies are powerless and paralyzed." |
Carving Up OpenAI OpenAI may be on the ropes in a lawsuit from book authors, who have steadily been building a formidable case that may force the tech giant's hand in forking over a big settlement ahead of trial. Earlier this week, a federal court advanced two new theories of infringement against the Sam Altman-led firm. As it stands, the authors, who include George R.R. Martin, have several outs to winning the case. Winston Cho's column. |
End of an Era John Malone, the pioneering mogul who was closely involved in nearly every big media deal spanning decades, is stepping aside from his Liberty empire early next year. The exec helped advise Ted Turner after the fiasco that was the AOL-Time Warner merger, competing with and confided in Rupert Murdoch, bankrolled Barry Diller and IAC, and worked with David Zaslav to create Warner Bros. Discovery. Alex Weprin's story. ICYMI, in his own words: "The Confessions of John Malone"
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A Few Questions For... Influencer Alix Earle THR: As the digital landscape continues to evolve, how do you see your role — and future — shaping within it?
EARLE: "It’s really amazing to see creators recognized for this new age of where people are looking to get their influence or inspiration from or their entertainment. It is a new change, and we’re still evolving in a lot of ways with brands and the way they’re marketing, and shows and having creators involved in them."
Full Q&A
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Is Peacock Stuck? For the entirety of 2025, Peacock has been stuck at 41 million subscribers. Though there has been ebbs and flows — Peacock’s monthly churn rate has fluctuated between five to eight percent throughout the year — at the end of each quarter, its paid subs have come out to 41 million. The NBCU spin says that is a sign of consistency, not stalled growth. Tony Maglio's take.
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SHOT: Box Office Hits Low Domestic box office revenue in October is expected to come in at roughly $425 million — the worst showing in 27 years, according to Comscore. Otherwise, the last time October was this low was 1997, when combined ticket sales were $385.2 million, not adjusted for inflation. The grim milestone. |
CHASER:Wicked Is Coming Market research firm NRG has the female-fueled Wicked: For Good debuting to $115 million domestically over Thanksgiving, but insiders with access to the data believe it could approach, or even clear, $120 million. Sources say presales for the sequel are pacing well ahead of the first Jon M. Chu film, though Universal is trying to manage expectations. Pamela McClintock's story. |
About Town Events of the week: HBO Max hosted an advance screening event for I Love L.A. with Rachel Sennott and True Whitaker at the Lodge Room ... Sydney Sweeney debuted Christy at AFI Fest ... Nicole Kidman walked the runway during Vogue World: Hollywood at Paramount Studios ... Miles Teller helped kick off opening night of the 28th SCAD Savannah Film Festival ... Eli Roth joined TMZ’s “After Dark” tour ... Tiffany Haddish stopped by Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights ... Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a night out at Dodger Stadium. All 71 photos from this week's gallery. |
The Bottom Line Snapshots from THR's team of critics: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia is "an enjoyably odd genre hybrid." ... Derek Drymon's SpongeBob sequel Search for SquarePants is "another amusingly absorbent tale." ... Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson starrer Song Sung Blue is "a diamond in the rough." ... Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler thriller Anniversary is "sly and chilling." ... Emma Thompson Apple TV mystery series Down Cemetary Road is "unpolished but superbly acted." ... Rachel Sennott's HBO comedy I Love L.A. is "an eventually intriguing portrait of late-20s anxiety." |
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